BMW car and driver

Which is why, like any proficient attendant, the 7-series now responds to hand gestures such as waves, points, and impatient finger twirls. A dismissive flick of the wrist ignores incoming calls. Pointing at the infotainment screen accepts them. Twirling your finger clockwise in front of the screen turns up the volume; counterclockwise turns it down. A two-fingered point can be programmed to do any number of things: set a specific destination, play “After All” by Cher and Peter Cetera from a connected phone, play other songs less terrible.

Yes. Sort of. Depending on the suspension mode—comfort plus, comfort, or sport—it can be a Rolls, a Benz, or a BMW. Comfort plus, the squishiest, allows for surprising float, with the car leaning wildly in turns. We can’t imagine many roundel loyalists engaging that one, but it might ease the transition for any unfortunates forced to downgrade from BMW’s super-lux British subsidiary. Comfort mode can still rock a baby to sleep but is unlikely to induce seasickness. Sport is the true BMW setting, nicely balancing control with comfort. In it, suspension and body motions are firmly damped, but without an overly sporting edge. This is, after all, a car with an optional rear-seat package aimed at chauffeured buyers. The Jaguar XJ and even the Audi A8 are firmer, but we question to what extent buyers at this price point need their long-wheelbase sedan to behave like the M3 they park next to.

And either way, 0.88 g on the skidpad is respectable for a vehicle that can indulge in such un-BMW behavior in comfort-plus mode. The steering is responsive and linear but light on feel, which engineers tell us is intentional. We enthusiasts might think the 7 should be an XXXL M235i, but the people who buy them think otherwise, finding bothersome the little twitches and tugs emblematic of good steering. And if the car feels closer to a Mercedes S-class than any BMW, maybe that’s because the S-class outsells the 7-series two to one. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, correct? But BMW has always provided good brakes, and whether it’s the driver who slams on them or the car’s computer, the 750i stops from 70 mph in just 161 feet—impressive considering its mass. The pedal is progressive, but rather soft.